Wednesday, November 05, 2008

The National Museum of the Philippines

I was in grade three when our class had an educational trip at the National Museum of the Philippines. I remembered how amazed I was when I saw the painting of Juan Luna – The Spoliarium. Even at that age, I felt a sense of pride when I looked at the painting because I knew that it won an award at an international competition.

The oil canvas measures 400 x 700 cm, it depicted dead gladiators being dragged into the shadowy area of a roman arena. The Spoliariumwon the gold medal at the Exposicion National de Belles Artes in 1884.

The painting reflected the maltreatment, abuses and the discrimination of the Spaniards against the Filipinos they considered to be indios.

Were the Spaniards who judge the painting unaware that the painting depicted the plight of the Filipinos under their colonization?

This masterpiece of Juan Luna can be found at the lobby of the main entrance of the national museum.

I had this sudden interest about the National Museum of the Philippines because the Manila Bulletin’s Panorama magazine featured it last Sunday.

The museum also houses various archeological exhibits in the Philippines’ prehistory, including the skull of the “Tabon Man,” which is said to be the oldest human remains in the country. I want to see also the collection of treasures salvaged from the Spanish Galleon, San Diego, that sunk in the Philippine waters in 1600.

One of these weekends, I’ll be tagging my brother, Paul, to the National Museum because he loves history and archeology very much.

The National Museum is located next to the Rizal Park and near Intramuros. It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and admission is free.